Many are predicting a Spanish quinella for the Port Taranaki ITU New Plymouth World Cup triathlon tomorrow, even though five of the world's top 10 will be racing.
No 1 Javier Gomez will line up against the hottest triathlete at the moment in countryman and world No 2 Mario Mola. Mola won the opening ITU World Cup in Mooloolaba last weekend, clocking a stunning 13:55 for the 5km run.
Despite that great form on the back of an impressive 2013, Mola is quick to suggest Gomez is the man to beat as most athletes use it as buildup for the opening World Series event in Auckland in a fortnight. The race will be run over the sprint distance and won't be as demanding as Auckland's course, which features some hills.
Switzerland's Sven Riederer (ranked fifth), France's Laurent Vidal (seven) and Portugal's Joao Silva (nine) are also in the field.
Leading the New Zealand charge in the men's race is world No 15 Ryan Sissons, who begins his 2014 campaign at home.
